(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to golf practice and instruction aids and more particularly to an alignment indicator to be placed on the ground between a ball and a golfer for aiding such golfer, whether a beginner or an experienced golfer, to align and swing the golf club properly against the ball.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
The popular game of golf, which can be enjoyably played by both young and old, beginners and experts, with or without companions, is one of the most popular games in the United States as well as many foreign countries such as, for example, Scotland, Japan and other developed nations. As would be expected, much has been written concerning the proper playing of golf and various golf training devices have been developed and used as training aids. One of the simplest of these has been the practice of golf instructors for many years of laying one or two golf clubs on the ground extending between the golfers legs and toward the ball as well as pointing in the direction in which the ball is desired to go and along which the golf swing is to hopefully be made. These basic pointers have been found to aid the beginning golfer as well as some experts to better visualize what they are doing and/or at least, desire to do.
Basically, the theory of addressing a golf ball and striking it with a club is fairly simple. If one strikes the ball squarely with the club face aligned exactly in the direction the ball is to go and the swing is oriented in the same direction, the ball will, in fact, be propelled in that direction. On the other hand, if the club face is angled slightly to the left, i.e. closed or angled forwardly, or to the right, i.e. open or angled back, as it strikes the balland the swing is forward, known as the direct swing path, the ball will be deflected slightly either to the left or the right, depending upon the amount of angle the club face assumes. Furthermore, the ball will be given a spin as it travels through the air, and such spin will cause it to curve even farther in the same direction, the spin quickly, assuming a major factor in the actual direction of the flight of the ball.
If the angle of the club face is to the left for a right-handed golfer, the trajectory of the ball will "hook" to the left, while if the club face has a right-hand angle, the ball will slice to the right. The ball will be provided with more or less rotation as it is propelled into the air, the amount of spin depending upon the degree of angle of the club face and the strength of the golf swing. Such spin of the ball in the air, by altering the passage of air over the ball surface, causes the ball to curve in the direction toward which it originally deviated and, given a long enough flight, such ball may actually land relatively far to the side of the target (the hole) or from the direction toward which it first began its flight. In order to counteract the effect of the side spin of the ball and have a rapidly spinning ball still land near the target, the club swing can be deviated into a slight in-and-out or out-and-in swing line or path rather than a direct swing path. In other words, if a golfer should wish to have the ball follow a more or less arcuate path around an obstacle on the course, the golfer may swing the club more from the inside out with a closed or forwardly inclined club face causing the ball to first travel to the right of the target and then curve back toward the target. On the other hand, if the golfer wishes to counteract a cross wind, he or she may adopt a direct swing path, rather than a side deviated swing path, but with the side spin of the ball curving it to counteract the cross wind.
The spin on the golf ball is exactly analogous to the spin applied to a baseball by a pitcher to throw a curved ball, or to a Ping-Pong ball to cause similar curved flight (known as top spin or smash) or to some extent in bowling where a side spin of the ball interacts with the surface of the lane rather than with the air to cause a curved path of the ball, a bowling ball having in any event too much mass to allow differential air flow over the surface to have much, if any, effect upon the trajectory of the ball.
There are two other flights of the ball referred to as a "push" and a "pull" where the face of the club is turned somewhat to the left or the right of the nominal target, but the swing of the club is closer to the direct swing path and not as much angle is applied to the club face so that the ball is, in effect, hit straight on even though the golfer's stance is addressed essentially toward the nominal target. While expert golfers may use this technique sometimes to attain a particular trajectory because of the lay of the course or other reasons, the term is used more frequently to describe what has actually happened unintentionally than what is desired to happen, because in normal circumstances, the golfer will be better off arranging his stance at least on a fairly level portion of the course so that he or she is directly aligned or addressed to the ball with respect to the target.
Two further terms that are frequently applied to golf strokes or shots are "fade" and "draw". A "fade" is nothing more than a slice which, either because the spin on the ball is fairly slight or because the ball flight was not sufficiently long, begins its flight first to the left (for a right-handed golfer,) but then curved slightly to the right so its impact is to the left of the nominal target, but still more to the right than its original trajectory would have indicated or predicted. Similarly, a "draw" is little more than a weak hook which did not take the ball to the left of the target, but to the right, even though its final impact is not as far to the right as its original trajectory or initial flight path would have predicted.
So far as controlling the deviation of the ball toward the target area is concerned, therefore, there are really only three basic ways to hit the ball: (a) straight, with the golf head squarely aligned with the direction the ball is desired to travel, or rotated somewhat either, (b) left or closed, for a hook or a draw, or (c) right or open, for either a slice or a fade. Pushes or pulls can be substituted for, in most cases, by a change of direction of the entire golf stance, rather than changing the swing angle. While the theory of what to do to obtain accurate golf ball flight is, therefore, relatively simple, the implementation and particularly the reproducibility of golf ball flight is not.
Another factor which complicates the foregoing relatively simple relationships is the so-called "loft" of the club, which applies lift to the ball. The loft of the club is the upward angle of the club face which determines largely the upward component of motion of the ball when it is hit. Again, the club face tends to give spin to the ball, in this case backspin, which, in this case, causes it to turn or curve toward the ground decreasing its flight. Consequently, the flight of a lofted ball is relatively short and used basically for lifting over barriers or impediments. An upward curve cannot be provided to a ball because of the overpowering influence of gravity continuously urging the ball downwardly and also because a spin appropriate to lifting the ball would require a downwardly inclined club face causing the ball initially to be struck toward the ground causing it to bounce rather than curve.
The inclination of a golf club blade to the left or the right at the moment of striking the ball is relatively difficult to control. This is because, unlike, for example, a baseball bat in which the main striking surface of the bat is directly in the center of the bat and where, although the flight of the ball can be controlled somewhat by hitting or striking the ball either below or above the mid-line of the bat, or before or after it passes the mid-line of the bat's swing, the difficulty of hitting the ball at all, since it is a moving target which the pitcher is trying to prevent from being hit at all, the ability to hit the ball at all overshadows the accuracy of striking the ball. However, in the case of a golf club, the golf striking blade extends from the side of the club so it presents a restricted striking surface off center from the shaft of the club itself. Thus, while a golf ball is a stationary target with which the club can be aligned beforehand rather than a moving target as in, for example, baseball, golfers, like baseball players, are frequently just happy to hit the ball whatever way it goes, at least within reason.
Nevertheless, as can be seen from the above explanation, it is very important to hit a golf ball with a carefully aligned golf blade or golf club head, if an accurate trajectory is to be obtained, since arriving eventually at a very restricted portion of the golf course is the sine qua non of playing golf, at least competitively with other golfers. The angle of the golf head or blade must, therefore, be very accurately aligned and swung, which is far from easy to do, particularly since the angle of the blade will vary throughout the swing and the angle of the swing is inherently, because the swing must be at an angle to the earth, out of line with the intended line of flight of the ball. There is only one intersecting or tangent point, therefore, between the travel of the golf club head and the intended flight of the ball as well as the target line, which usually is not the same.
Correctly striking a golf ball, compared to striking other game balls, may be analogized somewhat to the difference between driving a car and flying an airplane. In the case of a car, one can see and feel the road and normally immediately observe the effect between the car and the road of movements of the steering wheel, applying the brakes and the like. In an airplane, however, one can get into a lot of difficulty by merely trying to observe what is happening. Rather, the really good pilot can visualize in his mind what is happening as the invisible air passes over the wing and control surfaces of the plane, so that he can better anticipate the effect of changes which he applies to the control surface.
Likewise in golf, many of the relationships of the ball to the club are not readily apparent when preparing to strike the ball and the really successful golfer should desirably be able to visualize the relationship between the ball and the movement of the club as well as the striking surface of the club rather than just following previously learned kinesthetic cues learned by extended practice, particularly since golf is essentially a game of flight strategy of a ball.
Not only is it difficult to attain a correct and efficient golf swing and stance initially, but it is difficult to duplicate any swing. There have been a veritable plethora of golf aids to aid or help the golfer not only to strike the ball originally, but also to aid the golfer during practice to set himself or herself in a position for successful swings. Examples of such devices are those which attempt to merely aid the golfer in aligning his swing with the ball by the use of visual references and indicators indicating where he is to address the ball, i.e. basically place his or her feet, and where the ball is to be aimed, basically giving the golfer something to aim at and those which actually attempt to place the golfer in a correct stance by physically guiding or impinging upon the body itself. Examples of the latter type of aid are the U.S. Pat. No. 2,690,911 issued Oct. 5, 1954 to A. E. Newgren comprising a framework which actually aligns or guides the golfer's body stance and to a lesser extent, the inventions of U.S. Pat. No. 3,197,209 issued Jul. 27, 1965 to J. C. Arena, which provides a single upwardly extending arm guide and U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,201, issued Nov. 3, 1981 to B. Palinkas, which provides a sighting device to be clipped to a golfer's hat.
A second type of alignment device or aid is the type which is merely placed on the ground in front of a golfer and aids such golfer in placement of his or her feet and/or visualizing the way the ball is to go. Examples of this type of device are provided by U.S. Pat. No. 2,606,026 issued Aug. 5, 1952 to B. F. Young, U.S. Pat. No. 3,166,327 issued Jan. 19, 1965 to R. S. Champion and U.S. Pat. No. 3,718,330 issued Feb. 17, 1973 to V. T. Gorite which basically provide ground supported devices against or close to which the golfer places his or her feet and aims, usually in the direction of an arrow. A further patent is U.S. Pat. No. 3,429,577 issued Feb. 25, 1969 to K. B. Godden et al. for a golf practice device providing several artificially pivoted balls to be impinged upon during the golf swing to aid in aligning such swing.
The present Applicant's device is a very much improved version of the type of aid in which the stance and target direction are indicated and in which adjustments can moreover be made to accommodate to the particular golfer as well as the particular problem. In addition, Applicant's device naturally aids the golfer in visualizing the desired relationship of his club to the ball and also provides a universally adjustable guide which allows easy and practical monitoring and duplication of previous successful golf swings. Prior art references of particular pertinence are described below.
In general, the prior art pertaining particularly to devices or aids to aligning the feet of a golfer and the ball, plus pointing the way the ball is supposed to travel, have involved the use of one or more pointers which are laid or otherwise placed upon the ground in front of the golfer or between the feet of the golfer to aid in aligning the golfer with the ball prior to striking such ball. Particular prior art of this nature includes the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 1,208,995 issued Dec. 19, 1916 to W. A. Lyon discloses an early golf teaching instrument not too far advanced over the use of two crossed golf clubs on the ground. The device consists of two pivoted-together rods plus a cross rod or pointer arranged transversely of the two pivoted rods. The pointer is formed from a bar which slides over the top of the two rods to one of which it is also pivoted. The cross bar is pointed at one end and is intended to delineate the direction in which the ball is hoped to travel. The two rods include telescopically sliding extensions on their ends which serve to, in effect, extend the ends of the rods so that they almost contact the front of the golfer's feet to delineate a proper golf stance. The device folds up so it may be easily placed in a golf bag or caddy bag. In use, the golf teaching instrument of Lyon is placed on the ground in front of the golfer with the apex of the two pivoted rods near the golf ball and the ends of the two pivoted together rods aligned in front of the two feet of the golfer. The cross bar or pointer is then adjusted to point in the direction the ball is to take. The device includes an arcuate sliding member with a set screw to set the position of the pointer so that once the correct ball address stance is found, it can be again duplicated. The arcuate adjustment of the arrow pointer plus the lengthening adjustment of the arms are substantially the only adjustments possible, although it is indicated the instrument can be adjusted to provide a stance for driving hooks and slices.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,517,555 issued Dec. 2, 1924 to L. V. Graham discloses a stance indicator for use in golf. The stance indicator comprises a series of basically yardsticks members arranged both at right angles and parallel to each other. Side members, which are arranged transversely to the main indicating member, are arranged so that the two of them may be slid longitudinally of such main member and the third may be slid transversely of such main member along the end. When the device is used, the golfer will position his or her feet as well as the golf ball at various positions along the device according to the index numbers provided on the members based either upon experience or instructions associated with the device. It is indicated that for training, the golferwill place his or her feet at predetermined points, while during practice, the golfer may mark where he or she has his feet placed on the ground and then by placing the apparatus of the invention at such position, determine what the spacing was in actuality. There is no target alignment indicator on the Graham device.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,922,130 issued Aug. 15, 1933 to O. P. Haserodt discloses a so-called golfer's stance appliance which is said to be simplified, a description which appears fairly apt, since the device is merely two bars having number indications along the sides, one of which bars slides transversely with respect to the other. The transversely slideable bar is apparently placed against or adjacent to the ball and the feet of the golfer, depending on experience or instructions. The feet of the golfer are then placed at various points along the main indicator identified by the continuous numbers along such indicator. The device is formed of rubber, leather or canvas and may be folded into a compact package and carried in a pocket when not in use. The principal advantage of the device appears to be its general physical flexibility allowing it to be folded up for storage and transportation.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,025,519 issued Dec. 24, 1935 to T. L. Lingg discloses a further golfer's stance gage formed from flexible steel strip basically like a steel measuring tape or the like. Several sections of the steel tape are pivoted together and there are various index figures along the sides so that various positions can be reproduced with respect to stance and addressing the ball. The device can be used by either left-handed or right-handed golfers by merely turning such device over. The device can be rolled up into a carrying case apparently somewhat in the same manner as a steel rule. The shape is somewhat like the earlier Lyon device except that the folded end is arranged to point at the target while a perpendicular section extends toward the ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,150,580 issued Mar. 14, 1939 to R. Crowley discloses a golf teaching and practice device comprised essentially of a series of slidingly oriented measuring rules arranged parallel and transverse to each other and adjustably slideable with respect to each other through central holders. The operation appears to be essentially similar to some of the prior devices such as, in particular, the earlier Graham arrangement.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,777,697 issued Jan. 15, 1957 to E. A. Crossot discloses a simplified golf instruction apparatus including a stance mat and a measuring scale which extends forwardly from the stance mat, upon which mat the golfer stands, toward or past the position of the ball, which may be adjusted, depending on the type of shot which is to be taken, including the golf club used and the like. The adjustability is basically by a pegboard-type adjustment depending upon the physical dimensions of the players.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,790,642 issued Apr. 30, 1957 to A. T. Rolfe discloses a so-called putting guide having a central arrow indicator at the end of which the ball is placed plus two transversely extending foot stops into which the ends of the two feet of the golfer are placed and a stroke guiding member which may be adjusted according to an indexed partially arcuate indexing section. After the device is set up, the golfer directs his club or stroke along the guide member which has also been preset to the correct angle of the desired stroke.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,886,326 issued May 12, 1959 to C. E. Olds discloses a golfer's stance gage in which a series of sliding members may be adjusted for varying widths of stance and distances of the ball from the end of the device. Otherwise, the device appears to be substantially similar in concept to some of the previously described devices. Its particular aim is to arrange the foot of the golfer in the proper stance.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,041,075 issued Jun. 26, 1962 to R. L. Taylor discloses a golf instruction device comprising a central base member with a scaled surface, two adjustably pivoted foot guide members, plus a string or line-type connection to the golf tee from which the golf ball is to be struck. The index marks allow the foot guide members to be changed to different positions depending on circumstances. The device uses a series of round posts inserted through openings in the elongated base member to hold it in place while it is being used. Such ground members may be golf tees inserted through the openings in the base member.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,141,675 issued Jul. 21, 1964 to G. W. Street discloses a so-called golfer's foot positioning device comprising essentially two indexed elongated guide members pivoted together at one end plus a transverse index member also pivoted at the end and arranged to be placed in a transverse position during use of the apparatus. The pivot section may have a pointed pin or spike extending from the end which is pushed into the ground to hold the guide in general against accidental displacement during use. The arms of the device can be brought together about the pivot pin when the device is not being used in order to take up less room in storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,343,268 issued Sep. 26, 1967 to R. T. Schennum has a series of guides pivoted to a rectangular plate. Such foot and ball guides may be extended at various angles from the plate, which angles are indicated by indexing placed upon the plate in conjunction with pointers attached to the pivoting members through the pivot pin. One of the pivoting guide members is mounted upon a section of the rectangular plate which has been cut out from the main portion of the plate and may be moved away from such main portion upon a slide which slides within the interior of the plate. The main body portion of the plate is not a solid plate, but is comprised of an upper portion and a lower portion with an opening between the two in which the sliding section may move and the pivoting section may move and the pivoting sections may be recessed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,384,377 issued May 21, 1968 to R. L. Stipp discloses a golf stance guide comprising a central circular component including an upper plate and a lower plate with two index foot guides extending from opposite sides. The extended foot guides are pivoted in the center of the plate so that when the guides are positioned against the inside of the instep of the golfer, the stance may be changed by moving the foot forward or backward in accordance with indexing provided on the surface of the circular plate. There are no pointers pointing either in the direction of the desired travel of the ball or in the direction of the ball as it lays on the ground. The device of Stipp is restricted purely to having foot guide members pivoted on the central circular member. However, there is indexing with respect to the foot guide positioning. Ground-piercing spikes or pins 87 may be used on the bottom of the base of the circular member in order to hold it in place on the ground during use. The index may have indications of positions to attain "slices" and "fades" as well as "draws" and "hooks".
U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,344 issued Apr. 25, 1972 to Q. Kimble discloses a golfer's stance gage having an elongated rectangular shape and appearing somewhat like an adjustable carpenter's guide or square. Foot guides comprising a wire construction are slidingly mounted in grooves along the longitudinal extent of the guide and a ball position guide comprising a long wire with an arrow indicating the desired direction of flight of the ball at the end is provided extending from a central portion of the guide and indexed along an arcuate portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,679,206 issued Jul. 25, 1972 to H. G. Shambaugh discloses a golfing aid comprising a base having an upward arcuate extension together with a pivoted pointer arranged so it can be set at different angles to indicate the flight of a ball. The upwardly extending casing is in the form of a round, half circular structure formed of two adjacent plates with a space between them in which the pointer is pivoted. The device is used to calculate the stroke of the golf club when the flight of the ball must be high in order to clear an elevation in the topography on the line of flight of the ball. By lining up the pointer with the edge of the elevation and taking the reading from index points the angle of the face of the club which should be used for the shot can be obtained based upon prior calculations.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,608 issued Mar. 24, 1981 to C. R. Funk discloses a golfer's set up device comprising a series of measuring bars, both pivoted together and attached to a sliding clevis-type arrangement. In use, the desired position of the feet can be determined by pivoting members and the distance of the ball from the transverse sliding member. The device is, therefore, essentially an updated version of some of the earlier "yardstick-type" golf aids.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,354,683 issued Oct. 19, 1982 to R. F. Woolland discloses a golf stance positioning aid again comprising two cross indicating pointers with various indexes and indications of clubs to be used marked on the surfaces. The device is also essentially an updated form of some of the earlier devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,434,983 issued Mar. 6, 1984 to F. K. Taggart discloses a golfer's stance mat which essentially comprises a mat having an indication on the surface essentially of indexed vertical and horizontal measuring surfaces plus an adjustable foot guide which is pivoted in the center and may be adjusted. As in most of the other arrangements, there are a number of index points along the measuring surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,815 issued Sep. 3, 1985 to R. G. Poirier discloses a golf stance gage including foot position indicators plus a pivoted ball position indicator having index marks along it and also provided with a transverse pivoting member which will measure not only the distance from the main base, but also the position of the ball transverse of such base.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,544,161 issued Oct. 1, 1985 to F. W. Guendling discloses a training aid for hitting golf balls comprising a device having the appearance of a carpenter's T-square which is attached to the ground by spike means. There are also openings in the device so that the golf tee can be placed in a series of positions along the top portion of the guide at various index points.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,994 issued May 14, 1991 to D. W. Peters discloses a golf trainer including a rather complicated U-shaped base having foot positioning extensions from one side and an open center where a golf club can actually enter between the tubular guides to strike the ball. A number of prior art patents are listed in the introduction to the specifications of the Peters patent.
Two further U.S. patents, namely U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,116 issued Feb. 25, 1975 to D. M. Ford et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,544,160 issued Oct. 1, 1985 to R. A. Miner, are directed to golf putting aids having a general U-shape similar to the Peters golf trainer. All the devices using parallel guide arms are intended to guide a golf stroke, either a drive stroke or a putting stroke, between such parallel arms.
While the foregoing prior art patents describe various golf aids which provide various advantages and improvements in the game of golf for the average golfer, none has been outstandingly successful. Either such former devices have been too complicated and difficult to use or they have not addressed sufficient of the main problems of attaining a consistent golf stroke. The present inventor, on the other hand, has devised a golf training aid which is not only a precision instrument, but can be adjusted for almost any playing eventuality. The device of the inventor, which is essentially universally adjustable, easily changes the adjustment of points indicating the position of the feet, the ball and the target by a preset or adjustable number of degrees and can be adjusted to provide the same contact between the golf club face and the golf ball with several alternative adjustments to allow for the idiosyncrasies of each golfer. The device is also provided with a special club face angle indicator that is universally adjustable to allow for a number of club face settings and may be adjusted also for the loft of the golf club.